VOA常速英语2018--狗狗和人类肥胖的相似处：宁可不吃 也不吃难吃的东西

Two bowls of food were placed in front of overweight dogs, one with a more appealing meal and the other empty or containing food they did not like as much.

两碗食物摆在超重的狗狗面前，其中一碗里盛着诱人的食物，而另一碗里要么是空的，要么是狗狗们不喜欢吃的食物。

Hungarian researchers found that normal weight dogs continue to obey instructions to look for a second bowl for food while the obese¹ animals refused after a few rounds. The results were surprising since the researchers had expected the overweight dogs to do anything for food.

匈牙利的一些研究人员发现，正常体重的狗狗会继续遵从指令，找到第二个碗；而超重的狗狗则会在几轮之后就拒绝吃第二个碗的食物。这样的结果让人惊讶，因为研究人员本来以为超重的狗狗会饥不择食。

We expected that the overweight dog would see a neutral situation positively² too. That is, they would expect the pot to contain food no matter how much energy required for them. The main thing is to find some food. But in this test, we saw the opposite—the overweight dogs took a negative view and did not expect to find food in the neutral place.

我们本以为超重的狗狗也会以积极的心态来看待中立的情况。也就是说，无论获取食物有多费劲儿，只要碗里有吃的就值了。最重要的就是找点儿吃的。但这项测试让我们看到了截然不同的景象——超重的狗狗态度消极，也没有能发现食物的想法。

This means, the researchers say that the overweight canines³ tried to maximize their food intake⁴ from the higher quality food and hesitated to do the task when the food reward was uncertain.

据研究人员表示，这种现象表明，超重的狗狗们想从高质量的食物中最大化的摄取能量，而当食物回报的可能性不确定时，它们会犹豫。

Our explanation for this is that they go for the sure thing. If the situation is uncertain, and they cannot find food, then they are unwilling⁵ to invest energy in searching for it. For them, the main thing is to find the right food with the least energy. This is where we can draw a parallel with human obesity⁶ where food rewards and a negative psychological state are behind obesity.

我们对于这种情况的解释是：他们不做不确定的事情。如果情况不确定，不一定能找到食物的话，他们就不愿意耗神去寻找。对于肥胖的狗狗来说，重要的是用最少的能量找到好的食物。这跟人类的肥胖有异曲同工之处：肥胖背后是食物奖励的飘渺不定和消极的心态在起作用。

So dogs which share our living environment may be good standings for scientists studying the causes and consequences of obesity. They have very similar social cognitive⁷ capacity to humans. So for dogs and many humans, good food is a reward worth waiting for.

所以，跟人类同住一个屋檐下的狗狗们可能成为很好的素材，供那些研究肥胖症因果所在的科学家使用。狗狗的社会认知能力与人类十分相似。所以无论对于狗狗还是很多人来说，好的食物是值得等待的奖励。

1 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

2 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

3 canines   

n.犬齿( canine的名词复数 )；犬牙；犬科动物

参考例句：

• For example, the teeth are more primitive. There are large canines and unusually shaped incisors. 譬如，牙齿更为原始，有大的犬齿和非常合适的门齿。 来自辞典例句
• Well-to-canines can attend doggy daycare centers while their owners work. 富人家的狗在主人上班的时候可以去狗狗托管中心。 来自互联网

4 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

5 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

6 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

7 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。